Roly wrote:
Phil L wrote:

Asbestos! - you won't put anything up there that will outlive
it...seriously though, what are the sheets fastened to now? - if
it's angle iron, then plastic isn't rigid enough to cover the same
span as rigid asbestos, if it's timber then you can use plastic
sheeting, although being so close to the house, this could cause
unwanted intrusion from roof tiles etc...so I'd say plywood sheets,
bitumen coated, then get a roofer, (or borrow a blowlamp) and cover
the lot with green mineral felt, expect 15 years out of it, any more
is a bonus

The problem is that new pipes need to be passed through the existing
roof and holes from older pipes will need to be made good, so chopping
the asbestos around isn't a very attractive proposition. If it weren't
for the re-routed pipes, the asbestos would be staying where it is.

How big are the holes for the pipes? - can't the new pipes go through the
same holes? - flashband will last for several years plugging small holes up,
certainly an option worth considering, if feasible.


The existing roof is supported by timber and it's against a flat end
wall of the house that rises well above the line of the garage roof,
so tiles won't get in the way.


I meant falling tiles from above - through plastic.

The two options I had considered were plywood/ felt roof or some sort
of metal roofing profile. That's why I was wondering if building regs
permit an inflammable material to be used for a garage roof ( although
the wooden supports suggest it's OK ). The thing that most concerned
me about a metal roof was the prospect of condensation. I didn't want
to find out that there was a problem after the job was finished.

With metal there almost always is, unless you want to spend a kings ransom
on coating it all with celotex.


Clearly plywood is within the scope of DIY, so it is a serious
consideration, but I'd like to know what the alternatives are, what
their pros and cons might be and what to avoid.

Plastic goes very brittle after only a few years, but obviously it's
cheap...if the walls are up to it, new timbers, battens and roof tiles? -
costly but probably the best, although probably less costly than metal /
condensation / drip / drip / drip :-p